building are used on a regular basis by producers requiring the look and feel of a built-up and busy metropolitan city.

Seen shooting there recently was Velocity Films, who were in production on the recently aired Castle Lager Bafana Bafana commercial. In the commercial the Bafana Bafana players and members of the public were interviewed in various areas of the CBD, including Gandhi Square and the Library Gardens.

The commercial, directed by Lourens Van Rensburg, garners support for the forthcoming 2010 Soccer World Cup. Production manager Sue Mills commented on the location: “It was a tricky commercial, as we needed to talk to the people in the street as passers-by and not actors. We used six different street corners and we plotted the entire shoot very carefully. We had permission from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and they were very helpful.

All in all we were very impressed with the locations and the help we received from the Gauteng Film Commission and the JMPD. The feel of the commercial was exactly right, and we felt safe and at ease.”